Furnace for melting and casting



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G. H. BENJAMIN FURNACE FOR'MELTING AND CASTING July 24, 3923.

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G. H. BENJAMIN FURNAGE FOR MELTING AND CASTING.

Filed OCC. 515. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheen?. 5

Perenied .July 24, was. I l i 1,462,899l 4UNITED OFFICE.

GEORGE HILLARD BENJAMIN, F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNQR T0' ANATMOS METALS AND FURNACE CORPORATION, OF NEW. 'YORK,"1\T. Y., A. CORPORATION. 0F DELA- FURNACE, FORl MELTING' AN D CASTING'.

Application led October 15, 1921. Serial No. 507,960.

To all whom t 'may col-neem.'

Be it known that I, Gnonon HILLARD BEN- JAMIN, a 'citizen of the `United States of America, residing at New York, 'count of v l Ne. 1,106,486, deted August 11, 1914, which New York, State of New York, and w ose ost-oice address is 25 West 43d Street,

ew York, N. Y., have invented a certain' new and useful Improvement in Furnaces for Melting and Casting, of which the following is a s ecication.

In-U. S. granted to J. H. L. De Bats, there ,is de- -scribed a method of melting, pouring and casting, by reason of which the metal is pre.-l

served against the deleterious .action of the 'atmosphere or the gases which may be pres` ent. The apparatus shown in ysuch patent for carrying the method into effect was dee signed for operation on a small scale. My

presentI invention 'relates to a construction adapted to carry the aforesaid methodinto effect on a commercial scale; that 1s, forI large quantity production, and involves certain features of construction which will be specifically described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section.

Fig. 2 is a detailof the clutch mechanism melting furnace through the tunnel kilns.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section and plan view on the line III-III of Fig. 1.'

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line IV`IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on the lineJ V-V of Fig. 3.

In the drawings,'5 indicates a tunnel kiln, which may be ofany desired-construction; preferal'ily that generally indicated in the transverse section, Fig. 4, the construction being such as to make the interior ofthe 'kiln substantially air tight.

The tunnel kiln is. divided into'two sec-v tions: A, the'melting section, and B, the

casting section. e

The ends of the furnace are closed by vertically movable doors 6, and a door 7 1s .introduced between the sections A and B.

Located within the tunnel are the melting furnaces 8f; four being shown, two in section A and two in section -B. Manifestly, by increasing the lengthv 'of the sections, the number of furnaces included in the section may be increased. The melting furnaces tters Patent No. 1,354,286,

for controlling the devicefor moving the? 4nacel at a given of electric current. The type shown in the drawing is thatdisclosed/in my prior Patent is a resistance furnace. 'I may,however, use the type shown in my 'prior Patent No.

1,329,744, dated Feb. 3, 41920, which is a resistance arc furnace, or that shown in my prior Patentv No. 1,314,384, dated August 26,1191?, which is an -arc furnace. Whatever type of furnace used, it will be such that the material to be melted on the hearth of the furnace is melted in a substantial vacuum, or under conditions where the gases developed or Ypresent in melting the charge will not ybe reabsorbed. Generally, the principle involvedbeing to melt the charge under conditions where it will not absorb oxygen or deleterious gases.

Located-in the bottom of the kiln are chain belts 9, carr l'projections 10 adapted to co-act with' epen ing projections 11 on thev furnace 8, byreason ofv which the' furnaces 8 may be movedl along the kiln. The action of the belt is controlled by the clutch arran e ment shown at 12, Fig. 2. Any suitable evice for moving the furnaces along the interior ofthe kiln will serve the purpose of. my invention, that shown being 'merely i1- lustrative. A similar arrangement is shown in my prior Patent No. 1,329,744, dated Feb.

electric current to the furnaces, whic provision consists of the-generator 13, connected l through one -terminal to contacts .14, arranged along the interiorof the kiln, andl vby another conductor to the rails 15, on

which furnaces 8 move. It will be observed that the contacts 14eare placed at uniform distances along the interior of the and that contacts 16 carried bythe furnaces are onlyin contact with 1a contact 14, when a furnace 8 'is at rest. Any other 'suitable arrangement may be employed `to feed current to the furnaces 8, that shown' being merely illustrative. of one plan. The fur-v naces 8 are mounted so as they can be tilted as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, for thel purpose of discharging the metal. from the fur- Ioint, for instance, the point C in section y To effect tilting of the furnaces, they are plate 17, adapted. t9 fbg-ast with the laterally 'eeeh provided with e laterally extending o are combustion chambers 20, in which gas and air may be introduced in the usual manner, through burners 21, (shown in dotted lines), the products of combustion are carried o-ut through stacks 22, the object of which is to heat to a high temperature the intention of my invention.

a coil; the

interior of section A of the kiln. In fact it has been found Athat where section A is heated to-a high temperature, the electric current needed toproduce the necessary heat to effect melting is materially reduced, and further, as the temperature and atmosphere of the kiln is that of a mule, the liability of oxidizing gas leaking into the kiln is avoided. y i

Located in each side of the kiln (section B) are electric heaters 23, each consisting of purpose of which is to heat the space imme iately surrounding the casting boxes 24, which are located under spout of the melting furnaces 8. At this part of the kiln, there is also provided opening 25, through which testing'apparatus may be introduced. 26 indicates opening through which a non-combining gas, such as nitrogen, may be introduced, or through whichair or gas in the interior of the kiln may be exhausted.

I wish it understood that all of the features of the construction may vary materally, and yet in no wise depart from the The drawings are largely diagrammatic and are only presented for the purpose of illustrating such an pparatus as may' carry the method into ef- The method of operation is as follows:

The material to be melted is put on the hearth of the furnaces 8, for instance, that shown. in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and is introduced into the kiln. Further material is put into the furnaces 8; for instance that shown in full lines at the left of section A. The door 6 at the left hand side of the furnaces is then closed, as also the door 7 between the sections A and B. The melting operation takes place in section A. .When the melting operation in furnace 8, shown in dotted lines, is completed, the ldoor 7 is' opened, and this furnace is moved into section B and the door closed; the movement taking place4 by reason of the moving apparatus in the bottom lof the kiln. When the furnace is introduced into section B, it is allowed to rest in the rst position therein for sufiicient time to allow *the metal to settle or plane.

The furnace is then moved into the second position, i. e., the position at the extreme right of section B. The furnace is then tilted and the material in the charged-into the casting boxes 24. If desired, any air in the interior of the kiln may be exhausted through the opening 26, or a non-combining gas under pressure may be introduced into section B through this opening; preferably, the gas being under sufficient pressure .to prevent vthe introduction of atmospheric air.

After 'the operation just described, the door 6 at the right of the kiln is opened and the furnace which has been discharged, removed to be carried over a suitabletrack back tothe left hand end of the kiln.

furnace Situated in the top' of the kiln are openi ings 27 through which the testing apparatus may be introduced'to determine the temperature and atmosphere in the sections A and B. It will be understood that chambers A and B are substantially closed to the atmosthe combination. of a tunnel kiln, means for heatingl the interior of the kiln, a series of melting furnaces, means for heating the melting furnaces, said means being independent of the means for heating the interior of the kiln, and means for moving thel meltingfurnaces through the kiln. l

'2. In a lstructure of the class described, the combination of a tunnel kiln, means for -dividing the interior of the tunnel into two sections, .means for closing the ends of the kiln, means for heating the interior of the kiln, 'a series of melting furnaces, means for moving the furnaces'through the kiln, and means for heating and melting furnaces.

3. In a structure of the `class described, the combination of a tunnel kiln, means for -dividing' the interior of the kiln into two chambers, combustion chambers located on -opposite sides of one section of the kiln,

means for feeding said combustion chambers with gas and air, a seriesof melting furnaces, means for moving the furnacesthrough the kiln, and means for heating the melting furnaces. Y

4. In a structure ofthecla'ss described, the combination of a tunnel kiln, means for heating' the interior of the kiln,'a series of electric melting furnaces, 'means for moving the furnaces through the kiln, and means for supplying electric energy to the melting furnaces while in the kiln.

5. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a tunnel kiln, a series naces, and means for exhausting air or gases` from the interior the kiln, or conversely, introducing a neutral gas.

7. In a structure of the class described,

the combination of 'a tunnel kiln of the. muflle type, means for heating the interior of the kiln by radiant heat, a series of elecand means for receiving the discharged.`

ceiving the material discharged y'from thev trical melting furnaces, means for moving the furnaces vthrough the kiln, means for` transmitting electric` heating energy to the interior ofthe melting furnaces, means for discharging the contents of the furnaces,

contents, located in the interior of the kiln.

8. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a tunnel kiln. means for heating the interior of the kiln, a series of electrical melting furnaces of the resistance type, means for 'moving the furnaces through the kiln, means for transmitting electric energy to the members of the melting furnaces, means for discharging the fur-A naces of their contents, and means for' refurnaces.

9. In a structure of the class' described,

the combinationof a tunnel kiln, movable doors for closing the ends of the kiln, and a movable door for'dividing the kiln into` tvvo section, means in one end of the lniln fol` heating the interior of the kilnto a. high temperature, means in the other end ofthe kiln for heatingthe kiln to a lower temperature, than that of the other sections, a series of melting furnaces, means fori moving the furnaces through the kiln, and means for heating .the melting'furn'aces, means in qne section for discharging the lcontents, of the furnaces, and means in the same sectionfor receivingl the discharged contents ,of the furnaces. ii

l0. In a structure'of th'e class described,

the combination of a tunnel kiln, means in the top of the kiln for testing the temperature of the interior of the kiln, means for dividing the kiln into sections, means inthe different sections for heating the interior of" .the kiln to different temperatures, a series of melting furnaces, means for movingrthe furnaces through the. kiln, means for heating'the melting furnaces, means foi` dis/- charging the contents of the melting furnaces operated from the exterior of the kiln, and means. Within the kiln 'for receiving the discharged contents of the melting furnaces.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in'the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE HILLARD BENJAMIN. `Witnessesz FLORENCE A. CHAPPLE, HENRY PRICE BALL. 

